Life was a picnic yesterday for the 30 Kosovar refugee cousins staying in a Brooklyn relative’s full house – as the whole clan headed to New Jersey for their first Memorial Day barbecue.

“I never dreamed of coming here to America to have hamburgers and hot dogs,” said Faruk Vila, 18, whose plate was heaped high with a steak, a drumstick, a hamburger, a hot dog and salad.

“This is wonderful. I love it,” he said, washing his meal down with a glass of Pepsi.

After fleeing the horrors of Kosovo, Vila and his many relatives are staying with distant cousins Eva and Ibish Shakiri in their Kensington house.

For yesterday’s hoe-down, they headed to the suburban Wayne, N.J., home of Neat Shakiri, Ibish’s brother.

Cousin Neat started things off with appetizers from his Belmora Pizza restaurant in Totowa before firing up the grill for a crowd of about 50 that included many American relatives.

An American flag hung on the front of Neat’s house, next to an Albanian flag and a Colombian flag, in honor of his wife, who’s from the South American country.

On an earlier visit to Wayne, the Kosovo cousins planted a garden in Neat’s yard – and the rows of eggplants, tomatoes and peppers are thriving.

Neat, 41, said the frank-and-hamburger feast was different from a traditional Albanian picnic – in which the main dish is a kind of giant, many-layered pizza baked in the outdoors.

“I hope they can treat us to a picnic soon,” he said of his relatives, his mouth watering for the down-home delicacies.

Hakile Vila, 29, dressed in a traditional Albanian blouse and head covering, recalled the home she left behind.

“I thank Mr. President who made it possible for us to come here and enjoy the freedom of this country,” she said, referring to President Clinton.

“I look forward for my husband [Faruk’s brother] to get a job and to settle in America until the time comes to return back home.”

Eva Shakiri, 36, said all 30 refugees will go to the welfare office today to be registered. Then they’ll get back to the business of finding apartments and jobs – in order to make room for more refugees who are coming this week.

As she spoke, three children crowded inside a large plastic playhouse.

Eva pointed and said, “I don’t have to worry about them – they found a house already.”